Reading Pennsylvania 1917 J L Bowman Wine Whiskey Merchants Billhead 5.5 x 11

This 1917 billhead from J. L. Bowman and Sons of Reading, Pennsylvania documents a wholesale wine and whiskey transaction during the late pre-Prohibition era.

By the 1910s, established regional liquor wholesalers supplied hotels, saloons, and retailers with bottled spirits, imported wines, and proprietary brands, operating through formal credit and invoicing systems. Reading’s commercial district along Penn Street supported such merchants as part of a broader network of distribution tied to rail transport and urban trade. Printed statements from this period often featured bold typographic branding alongside ruled accounting grids for handwritten entries.

The header identifies J. L. Bowman and Sons as wholesale wine and whiskey merchants with offices at 332 Penn Street, Reading, Pa., and shows a May 1, 1917 statement date. Itemized entries and totals are written in period ink across the lined ledger form, and a Zerby and Hunter receipt stamp dated 6-2-17 appears toward the lower portion. The sheet measures 5.5 x 11 inches and presents strong visual contrast between printed red letterpress and manuscript accounting.

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